Philosophy Now Forum

Just wondering. Do they - should they?

Assuming you mean rights towards their God children there's no legal recognition of the status of God parent, which is almost entirely symbolic these days anyway, so I can't see how they can have rights.

Neither do I think they should have rights anyway and I'd be surprised if many people thought otherwise.

What sort of rights?
As i understand it the god parent is more or less defunked role offered to close friends or relatives whose duty is limited to the religious education of the child. In practice these duties are not often taken seriously, and are nominal only.
I'll never forget that my partner and I were offered this role by close friends. As neither of us had had god parents ourselves, nor did either of us believe in god, we were somewhat puzzled by the offer and had to tread carefully not to offend by our refusal.
Like most traditionalists neither of the parents had a clue what the role of god parent really meant, but just considered the role as an informal 'auntie" and 'uncle'. For my partner and I , not being traditionalists and having actually thought about the insidious and harmful role of religion had to politely decline.
I think the parents learned to respect our position - if in a bemused and puzzled acceptance. They did not last long and divorced acrimoniously mainly on issued to do with how to and how not to bring up baby. So much for tradition! I do not know whether otr not if the second choice god parents helped at all. I always thought that if they payed as much attention to learning about each other as they did to me and my partner it was no wonder their marriage failed.

As for right? Duh?

We can only tackle things from the philosophical angle - maybe tbeiter knows something from the legal angle.

I think God Parents should be taken into account as a potential home for an orphan. But I think culturally the role is becoming more symbolic.

`The role has never had a legal definition as far as I know.
As the law has continued to encroach upon our lives, the responsibility of an orphan now falls to the state.
There was never more than a cultural imperative upon the 'god parent', based on 'good intentions' to take on such responsibilities.
I seem to remember that brothers would have responsibility for the wife and child of a dead father in the Bible.
I do not think there was ever a legal basis for this, and the objection of Onan could always be offered as a get out clause.

God doesn't have parents. She's the Prime Mover. If she had parents, she wouldn't be God.

Which one is she?